The Wolf We Feed

On January 21, the day after Obama's inauguration, Barack and Michelle Obama, along with a host of other dignitaries, attended the customary post-inaugural National Prayer Service in Washington D.C.  Dr. Sharon Watkins, President of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) gave the sermon.  One particular part of her preaching caught my attention from the beginning, as it apparently did for many.  Here is the segment:

"What you are entering now, Mr. President and Mr. Vice President, will tend to draw you away from your ethical center.  But we, the nation that you serve, need you to hold the ground of your deepest values, of our deepest values.

Beyond this moment of high hopes, we need you to stay focused on our shared hopes, so that we can continue to hope, too.

We will follow your lead.

There is a story attributed to Cherokee wisdom:One evening a grandfather was teaching his young grandson about the internal battle that each person faces.

"There are two wolves struggling inside each of us," the old man said.   

"One wolf is vengefulness, anger, resentment, self-pity, fear . . .    "

"The other wolf is compassion, faithfulness, hope, truth, love . . ."   

The grandson sat, thinking, then asked: "Which wolf wins, Grandfather?"   

His grandfather replied, "The one you feed."

Thanks to Dr. Watkins for making such good use of the time she had in front of our incredible new President.  The entire sermon is lovely.  To see a video of the first half of her sermon, which includes this story, Dr. Watkins, click here.

Wolves - Photo by dobac under Creative Commons